I just couldn't figure the legal ramifications
Category: Pink Sheep RPG
Summers,
So, now that we're all back on the same page, I guess I sort of owe you a few rounds. Pub?
Ced.
-------
Diggory,
A few? Don't make me laugh. Actually, do. Pub.
Jake
-------
Ced sat with his legs stretched out under the table in a little pub in Bath Jake had named, spinning the thin, cardboard coasters on their rounded corners. The thrum of nervousness he'd found when reuniting with his parents and other friends returned; certainly, Jake knew the truth, but now he'd had time to examine the idea, and while Ced didn't think it'd change things, there was always a part of him that worried. The part that woke him in the middle of the night when he felt he'd drown in solitude; the part that twisted when he couldn't remember eighteen; the part he forcefully and willfully pushed down now. Everything would be fine. He hoped.
Apparating into the alley next to the Pig and Fiddle, Jake wandered into the muggle pub, easily spotting his friend in the corner. Ordering himself a lager from the bar, he wandered his way over. "Ced." He took a seat oppose the unspeakable.
"Should've expected the states to make you monosyllabic," Ced teased, the coaster still spinning between long fingers. "Think fast," the older man added, flicking the coaster at Jake's face.
The gambler eyes didn't leave his friend's face as he batted the coaster out of the air. "Cedric. Is that better?"
"It'll do." This wasn't going quite as swimmingly as Ced had hoped. "What? Should I have ordered a stripper to appease you? Brought pie?"
The dark haired man merely raised an eyebrow, though his face otherwise remained blank. It wouldn't do to give himself away this early in the game. Jake raised his pint to his lips, though he didn't drink. "Depends. What type of pie?"
Cedric rolled his eyes. "Cherry, obviously. Some fetishes are too memorable to forget." He took a long pull on his pint, sure now that he should have actually done the girly thing and brought some of the dessert with him.
"No bird has ever complained." Taking a page from his friend's book, Jake took a drink as well. "And I'm sorry if some of your tastes are something less than to be desired. How's Smith?"
"Cocky as ever. Think he needs to be locked in a room with a boggart for a while, sometimes." He paused to shed his jacket, dumping it on the seat next to him as he turned back to Jake with a smirk. "And for a girl to complain, you'd had to have actually had one, mate. Let me know when that happens for you." He grinned over his glass at Jake, confident the other man would know he was joking; Cedric remembered all too well the string of girls who'd giggled their way around the castle, following his mate.
"Smith never did like being locked in closets, did he?" Jake mused. He didn't comment on Ced's dismissal of his personal life. He could have mentioned Mandy, of course, but he felt like keeping her presence in his life to his chest for a bit. There were so few things he really could keep to himself, he liked to savor the things as they came about.
"I wonder why that would be?" Cedric mused, signalling for another two pints from the bar.
"He was a little snot. Needed to make sure he could keep up with the big boys."
"So you wre just preparing him for real life and the big bad world. Very thoughtful of you, mate." He privately wondered how long this not-quite-light teasing would go on. Perhaps he should just damn well man up and say what he came here to say. "Look mate," he set his glass down, foot beginning to tap silently under the table. "The whole situation's a fuck up. I fucked up, and I'm sorry. I just want us to be mates and not...weird, you know?"
"What'd you fuck up?" Jake wanted to know. "You were unconcious for a year and in that time it was decided it would be best for me to follow my family. It was the Ministry who conviently forgot to mention to your loved ones that you weren't in the ground like we all thought." He shrugged. "I want us to be mates too, but things are going to be weird. They were before and this little snafu isn't going to make us any more normal."
A relieved grin broke over Cedric's face. What had he been worrying about? This was Jake, and while he was now taller, broader, and probably had a dirtier mind and sharper wit than he'd seen at school, he was the same den mate Ced had missed. For once, the older man felt as if he wasn't the only one who'd missed something out.
Jake raised his glass to his lips and took a drink. While he was all ready to forgive Ced for something, admittedly, not his fault, there were going to be bumps in the road. Just like the Department of Mysteries had changed the blonde, his time in the states and Vegas had changed the brunette. Unfortunately it was up to them to figure out how all the pieces fit back together again.
"So, d'you wanna take a few beers back to my place and see if I can't still kick your ass at each and every video game known to bloke kind?" There was a hint of a challenge in Ced's smile.
"You're a lot less pretty than my last drinking companion. And there was better booze. And the only reason you kick my ass is because you cheat."
"The only reason you claim I cheat is because you're a sore loser, Summers. We can stop by the shop and get something real to drink if you like, order pizza? And who's the pretty thing? Have you been seeing Smith behind my back?"
"Please." Jake rolled his eyes. "There is no way Smith is prettier than me. And it's a bird in Smith's year. A Ravenclaw."
"Too smart for you then, mate," Ced returned with a sorry shake of his head.
Jake raised a brow. "I'll have you know us Summers do perfectly well on all exams and tests. Now if I can just stop Sam from having an ulcer at the mere mention of OWLs, all will be dandy."
"So she recovered from learning to drink with Smith alright?"
"One can only hope." Jake shook his head. "Remind me to get her utterly pissed as soon as she finishes Hogwarts. That will be a sight to see. Then I can weasel out all her secrets and find out which boys I need to hex."
"You know, drunken interrogations don't tend to work quite as well as one would hope. Veritaserum's much more effective, mate."
"And where would one find this Veritaserum? Isn't it a controlled substance. Well, thankfully I have friends in high places." He looked at his friend. "Should I include you on these interrogations? Make sure everything is done properly?"
"That depends. I'm only coming if you stage it under the guise of a tea party." Cedric hadn't forgotten the admission a tipsy Jake had made one night, about the little-sister-appeasing tea parties he'd sat through on more than one occasion.
Jake grimaced. He had forgotten that he had admitted to partaking in Sam's four year old demands that he put on the pink feathered boa and drink water out of pink plastic tea cups. "Unfortunately for you, she's grown out of those. Though I'm sure she still has the feathered boa and matching hat if you really wanted to oblige."
"It'd really bring out my eyes, don't you think?" Ced quipped. "Right. Video games and interrogation plotting at mine, what d'you say?"
"You always did look fetching in pastels. And I thought I already answered the question. Yes." Throwing down a fiver to pay for their drinks, the brunette followed the Unspeakable out. "So where exactly do you live? Or is that super secret, Department of Mysteries information?"
"Technically it's restricted information, but I'm my own secret keeper, so it's all good. I've got a place in Basingstoke, up London Street. You know your way there?"
"I can figure my way around." Jake nodded. "After you."
Cedric nodded, vanishing from veiw and reappearing moments later in a half-lit alley, immediately stepping aside to make room for Jake.
As Jake's feet touched down in the alley, he surveyed the area. "I don't suppose your lair's underground, like Batman's he ventured, not really sure if his friend would get the reference. Poor purebloods, they were always so sheltered from some of the best stuff in life. Like Batman.
The older man gave him a strange look. "What's manly about a bat?"
The half-blood tried to hold back his gasp of horror. "Batman. The Dark Knight. Defender of Gotham. All around bad ass." Jake shook his head. "You have been sorely deprived, my friend. Just wait until I show you the movie from last year. You'll be thanking me."
Cedric was convinced by Jake's adamant, unshakable belief. "Right then, change of plans. I'll get booze, you get the movie, and you can educate me in the ways of this man-bat. Deal?"
"Batman," Jake corrected with a shake of his head. Honestly, Cedric had no idea what he was missing. "Be back in a few," he told his friend as he popped out of view. True to his word, five minutes later he was back in the alley, Batman Begins clutched in his greedy hands. This was going to be epic.
The older man rounded the corner of the alley just as Jake popped back into view, arms laden with booze and a bunch of snacks that he'd fetched from the local shop. "I got rum and whiskey, so you can take your pick," he announced
"Whiskey," Jake announced as he followed the man into his flat. He tried to keep any hint of distaste off his face as he saw the place. It was a place to live, yes, but not exactly something that screamed home. "Well, this is... nice," he said finally, looking around at the bare and blank walls.
"It's not an enchanted chamber deep within the department. Anything's better than that," the taller man quipped back with a roll of his eyes. He summoned two glasses from the kitchen and set down nuts and crisps on the coffee table.
The quip sent Jake's jaw on edge, but he quickly shook his head. It was not the time to argue. If it was taking his friend a bit longer to express himself than it used to. So be it. "What flavor of crisps did you get?" he asked instead, poking around. "Salt and vinegar I hope."
"Course. And corn chips, and salsa. Peanuts. We can order in when we want real food." He picked up the case Jake had set on the coffee table, slipping the DVD into the player. "I'm taking it out of your hide if this isn't amazing. Just so you know."
"You can try." Jake settled on the couch, the bag of crisps in his hand. He opened them, stuffing a few into his mouth as the movie began. "You should have seen this in the cinema," he said, spraying a few crumbs in the air, "it was amazing. Nearly blew my mind away." And frightened Sam when he had taken her to see it. Alright, so the scenes with the Scarecrow were slightly unnerving, but it was nothing a bit of ice cream hadn't solved.
Flopping down on the couch next to him, Ced snagged his own handful of crisps. "Like that's ever been terribly difficult," he returned in a mocking tone, popping his feet up on the table.
"Why, you offering?"
"You over the Ravenclaw so soon?"
"Dude, blowjob. One does not turn down the offer of one. Even if it is from a male with entirely too floppy hair."
"You love my hair, you slut. Don't try to deny it." Cedric chucked a crisp at Jake's own sub-par hair for good measure.
"Slut? I only rank a slut?" Jake shook his head. "I rate a manwhore at the very least. And for that, I'm keeping all the crisps for myself." He pointedly pulled the bag closer to him before depositing it on his other side.
"I'll be sure to tell your new bird that." Ced summoned the bag of crisps and threw a quick stinging hex at Jake's side, snickering as it hit.
"Cheater." Jake grabbed the bag of crisps back. "Careful or I'll spit into them and then they'll all be mine."
"Heartless bastard. Do it and I'm keeping the salsa to myself. Now shut up, it's starting."
-------
As the credits began to roll, Jake leaned forward and grabbed a slice of room temperature pizza. Quite convinced that the food was acceptable at whatever temperature it might be at, he took a big bite of cheese and sauce, grease and dough. "So what'd you think?" he asked after he swallowed. "Batman."
"Unbelievable. You were right." He shook the crumbs from the all-but-empty crisp packet into his mouth. "Though the girl was boring enough to be left out."
"Exactly. Why they couldn't include Catwoman is beyond me." At his friend's questioning look, he grinned. "Leather body suit. Tits of gold. Need I say more?"
"And why didn't you bring that one too, you selfish bastard?" He downed the last of the whiskey in his glass and raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend.
"Because this movie was better. And I didn't want to blow your mind with the awesomeness." Finishing the last bit of his crust, Jake looked around. "Have any more whiskey left?
"Typical, keeping all the blowing for yourself. I at least know how to share." After pausing to pour himself a top-up, he handed the bottle over.
"Damn straight I'm keeping the blowing to myself." Jake smirked at his friend from over the top of the bottle before he raised it to his lips. Cups were for sissies. He took a long pull, letting the alcohol burn it's way down to his gut. Actually, he was so warmed up by now, the whiskey did nothing more than tingle pleasantly. "They're sacred experiences man."
"Spoken either like a true coinesseur, or one who so rarely gets 'em they're elevated to a mystical experience." He pointed at the other man with his tumbler. "You decide."
Jake sneered. '"Just for that I'm keeping the whiskey to myself."
"Told you you were a selfish bastard." A summoning spell had the bottle returning to Ced's waiting hand.
The slightly younger man sat there for a moment, completely gobsmacked. When he reached for the rum, that too was summoned to the Unspeakable's grasp. "You rudding bastard!" Jake accused, his eyes narrowed as he weighed his options. Lips curling into a smirk, he dove head first into his friend's middle, knocking him off the couch and onto the floor.
Cedric landed with an "oof," securing a leg around Jake as he rolled over to pin the younger man. He'd better not have spilt the rum.
They grappled for a moment before Jake managed to reverse their fates. It was just like old times, though instead of wrestling over the latest issue of Quiddich Quarterly they were fighting over booze.
"That all you got, Summers?" Perhaps it was a low blow, but Ced took advantage of Jake's higher centre of gravity, knocking the younger man into the table. He then used Jake's own momentum to roll them back over, a victorious smile across his face.
Belting his friend across the face, Jake scrambled up and away slightly before beginning to circle, already planning his next attack. It might have been a cheap shot, but at least he hadn't gone for the crotch.
"You're a prat, mate," Cedric stated simply, pivoting to keep his eye on Jake. Instead of moving forward for a blow, he ducked down, swiping the whiskey bottle and tossing it in his friend's direction.
"Son of a bitch!" Jake down to avoid getting beaned in the head with the bottle of alcohol. Behind him, he could hear the sound of shattering glass as it collided with the wall. "There was still plenty of whiskey in there!" He glared at his friend. "Bitch."
"You were meant to catch it, you dick. Not my fault Vegas made your reflexes sloppy, jerk." A silent reparo had the bottle restored in a few seconds. Cedric levitated the bottle so it swung in front of Jake's face. "Truce?"
Jake reached out for it, easily ridding it of its cap. "Bitch." He took a hearty swing. Rum. He also needed rum.
"Only your's, Jakey-pie." Ced flopped easily back onto the couch and went at the rum bottle. "Always wanted to be a pirate," he said speculatively, eyeing the label.
"You got to be a zombie instead. Sucks to be you."
"And I don't even get to eat brains. Total rip-off."
{Summary: Cedric and Jake figure it out the boy way: with booze, brawling and Batman.}
Summers,
So, now that we're all back on the same page, I guess I sort of owe you a few rounds. Pub?
Ced.
-------
Diggory,
A few? Don't make me laugh. Actually, do. Pub.
Jake
-------
Ced sat with his legs stretched out under the table in a little pub in Bath Jake had named, spinning the thin, cardboard coasters on their rounded corners. The thrum of nervousness he'd found when reuniting with his parents and other friends returned; certainly, Jake knew the truth, but now he'd had time to examine the idea, and while Ced didn't think it'd change things, there was always a part of him that worried. The part that woke him in the middle of the night when he felt he'd drown in solitude; the part that twisted when he couldn't remember eighteen; the part he forcefully and willfully pushed down now. Everything would be fine. He hoped.
Apparating into the alley next to the Pig and Fiddle, Jake wandered into the muggle pub, easily spotting his friend in the corner. Ordering himself a lager from the bar, he wandered his way over. "Ced." He took a seat oppose the unspeakable.
"Should've expected the states to make you monosyllabic," Ced teased, the coaster still spinning between long fingers. "Think fast," the older man added, flicking the coaster at Jake's face.
The gambler eyes didn't leave his friend's face as he batted the coaster out of the air. "Cedric. Is that better?"
"It'll do." This wasn't going quite as swimmingly as Ced had hoped. "What? Should I have ordered a stripper to appease you? Brought pie?"
The dark haired man merely raised an eyebrow, though his face otherwise remained blank. It wouldn't do to give himself away this early in the game. Jake raised his pint to his lips, though he didn't drink. "Depends. What type of pie?"
Cedric rolled his eyes. "Cherry, obviously. Some fetishes are too memorable to forget." He took a long pull on his pint, sure now that he should have actually done the girly thing and brought some of the dessert with him.
"No bird has ever complained." Taking a page from his friend's book, Jake took a drink as well. "And I'm sorry if some of your tastes are something less than to be desired. How's Smith?"
"Cocky as ever. Think he needs to be locked in a room with a boggart for a while, sometimes." He paused to shed his jacket, dumping it on the seat next to him as he turned back to Jake with a smirk. "And for a girl to complain, you'd had to have actually had one, mate. Let me know when that happens for you." He grinned over his glass at Jake, confident the other man would know he was joking; Cedric remembered all too well the string of girls who'd giggled their way around the castle, following his mate.
"Smith never did like being locked in closets, did he?" Jake mused. He didn't comment on Ced's dismissal of his personal life. He could have mentioned Mandy, of course, but he felt like keeping her presence in his life to his chest for a bit. There were so few things he really could keep to himself, he liked to savor the things as they came about.
"I wonder why that would be?" Cedric mused, signalling for another two pints from the bar.
"He was a little snot. Needed to make sure he could keep up with the big boys."
"So you wre just preparing him for real life and the big bad world. Very thoughtful of you, mate." He privately wondered how long this not-quite-light teasing would go on. Perhaps he should just damn well man up and say what he came here to say. "Look mate," he set his glass down, foot beginning to tap silently under the table. "The whole situation's a fuck up. I fucked up, and I'm sorry. I just want us to be mates and not...weird, you know?"
"What'd you fuck up?" Jake wanted to know. "You were unconcious for a year and in that time it was decided it would be best for me to follow my family. It was the Ministry who conviently forgot to mention to your loved ones that you weren't in the ground like we all thought." He shrugged. "I want us to be mates too, but things are going to be weird. They were before and this little snafu isn't going to make us any more normal."
A relieved grin broke over Cedric's face. What had he been worrying about? This was Jake, and while he was now taller, broader, and probably had a dirtier mind and sharper wit than he'd seen at school, he was the same den mate Ced had missed. For once, the older man felt as if he wasn't the only one who'd missed something out.
Jake raised his glass to his lips and took a drink. While he was all ready to forgive Ced for something, admittedly, not his fault, there were going to be bumps in the road. Just like the Department of Mysteries had changed the blonde, his time in the states and Vegas had changed the brunette. Unfortunately it was up to them to figure out how all the pieces fit back together again.
"So, d'you wanna take a few beers back to my place and see if I can't still kick your ass at each and every video game known to bloke kind?" There was a hint of a challenge in Ced's smile.
"You're a lot less pretty than my last drinking companion. And there was better booze. And the only reason you kick my ass is because you cheat."
"The only reason you claim I cheat is because you're a sore loser, Summers. We can stop by the shop and get something real to drink if you like, order pizza? And who's the pretty thing? Have you been seeing Smith behind my back?"
"Please." Jake rolled his eyes. "There is no way Smith is prettier than me. And it's a bird in Smith's year. A Ravenclaw."
"Too smart for you then, mate," Ced returned with a sorry shake of his head.
Jake raised a brow. "I'll have you know us Summers do perfectly well on all exams and tests. Now if I can just stop Sam from having an ulcer at the mere mention of OWLs, all will be dandy."
"So she recovered from learning to drink with Smith alright?"
"One can only hope." Jake shook his head. "Remind me to get her utterly pissed as soon as she finishes Hogwarts. That will be a sight to see. Then I can weasel out all her secrets and find out which boys I need to hex."
"You know, drunken interrogations don't tend to work quite as well as one would hope. Veritaserum's much more effective, mate."
"And where would one find this Veritaserum? Isn't it a controlled substance. Well, thankfully I have friends in high places." He looked at his friend. "Should I include you on these interrogations? Make sure everything is done properly?"
"That depends. I'm only coming if you stage it under the guise of a tea party." Cedric hadn't forgotten the admission a tipsy Jake had made one night, about the little-sister-appeasing tea parties he'd sat through on more than one occasion.
Jake grimaced. He had forgotten that he had admitted to partaking in Sam's four year old demands that he put on the pink feathered boa and drink water out of pink plastic tea cups. "Unfortunately for you, she's grown out of those. Though I'm sure she still has the feathered boa and matching hat if you really wanted to oblige."
"It'd really bring out my eyes, don't you think?" Ced quipped. "Right. Video games and interrogation plotting at mine, what d'you say?"
"You always did look fetching in pastels. And I thought I already answered the question. Yes." Throwing down a fiver to pay for their drinks, the brunette followed the Unspeakable out. "So where exactly do you live? Or is that super secret, Department of Mysteries information?"
"Technically it's restricted information, but I'm my own secret keeper, so it's all good. I've got a place in Basingstoke, up London Street. You know your way there?"
"I can figure my way around." Jake nodded. "After you."
Cedric nodded, vanishing from veiw and reappearing moments later in a half-lit alley, immediately stepping aside to make room for Jake.
As Jake's feet touched down in the alley, he surveyed the area. "I don't suppose your lair's underground, like Batman's he ventured, not really sure if his friend would get the reference. Poor purebloods, they were always so sheltered from some of the best stuff in life. Like Batman.
The older man gave him a strange look. "What's manly about a bat?"
The half-blood tried to hold back his gasp of horror. "Batman. The Dark Knight. Defender of Gotham. All around bad ass." Jake shook his head. "You have been sorely deprived, my friend. Just wait until I show you the movie from last year. You'll be thanking me."
Cedric was convinced by Jake's adamant, unshakable belief. "Right then, change of plans. I'll get booze, you get the movie, and you can educate me in the ways of this man-bat. Deal?"
"Batman," Jake corrected with a shake of his head. Honestly, Cedric had no idea what he was missing. "Be back in a few," he told his friend as he popped out of view. True to his word, five minutes later he was back in the alley, Batman Begins clutched in his greedy hands. This was going to be epic.
The older man rounded the corner of the alley just as Jake popped back into view, arms laden with booze and a bunch of snacks that he'd fetched from the local shop. "I got rum and whiskey, so you can take your pick," he announced
"Whiskey," Jake announced as he followed the man into his flat. He tried to keep any hint of distaste off his face as he saw the place. It was a place to live, yes, but not exactly something that screamed home. "Well, this is... nice," he said finally, looking around at the bare and blank walls.
"It's not an enchanted chamber deep within the department. Anything's better than that," the taller man quipped back with a roll of his eyes. He summoned two glasses from the kitchen and set down nuts and crisps on the coffee table.
The quip sent Jake's jaw on edge, but he quickly shook his head. It was not the time to argue. If it was taking his friend a bit longer to express himself than it used to. So be it. "What flavor of crisps did you get?" he asked instead, poking around. "Salt and vinegar I hope."
"Course. And corn chips, and salsa. Peanuts. We can order in when we want real food." He picked up the case Jake had set on the coffee table, slipping the DVD into the player. "I'm taking it out of your hide if this isn't amazing. Just so you know."
"You can try." Jake settled on the couch, the bag of crisps in his hand. He opened them, stuffing a few into his mouth as the movie began. "You should have seen this in the cinema," he said, spraying a few crumbs in the air, "it was amazing. Nearly blew my mind away." And frightened Sam when he had taken her to see it. Alright, so the scenes with the Scarecrow were slightly unnerving, but it was nothing a bit of ice cream hadn't solved.
Flopping down on the couch next to him, Ced snagged his own handful of crisps. "Like that's ever been terribly difficult," he returned in a mocking tone, popping his feet up on the table.
"Why, you offering?"
"You over the Ravenclaw so soon?"
"Dude, blowjob. One does not turn down the offer of one. Even if it is from a male with entirely too floppy hair."
"You love my hair, you slut. Don't try to deny it." Cedric chucked a crisp at Jake's own sub-par hair for good measure.
"Slut? I only rank a slut?" Jake shook his head. "I rate a manwhore at the very least. And for that, I'm keeping all the crisps for myself." He pointedly pulled the bag closer to him before depositing it on his other side.
"I'll be sure to tell your new bird that." Ced summoned the bag of crisps and threw a quick stinging hex at Jake's side, snickering as it hit.
"Cheater." Jake grabbed the bag of crisps back. "Careful or I'll spit into them and then they'll all be mine."
"Heartless bastard. Do it and I'm keeping the salsa to myself. Now shut up, it's starting."
-------
As the credits began to roll, Jake leaned forward and grabbed a slice of room temperature pizza. Quite convinced that the food was acceptable at whatever temperature it might be at, he took a big bite of cheese and sauce, grease and dough. "So what'd you think?" he asked after he swallowed. "Batman."
"Unbelievable. You were right." He shook the crumbs from the all-but-empty crisp packet into his mouth. "Though the girl was boring enough to be left out."
"Exactly. Why they couldn't include Catwoman is beyond me." At his friend's questioning look, he grinned. "Leather body suit. Tits of gold. Need I say more?"
"And why didn't you bring that one too, you selfish bastard?" He downed the last of the whiskey in his glass and raised a questioning eyebrow at his friend.
"Because this movie was better. And I didn't want to blow your mind with the awesomeness." Finishing the last bit of his crust, Jake looked around. "Have any more whiskey left?
"Typical, keeping all the blowing for yourself. I at least know how to share." After pausing to pour himself a top-up, he handed the bottle over.
"Damn straight I'm keeping the blowing to myself." Jake smirked at his friend from over the top of the bottle before he raised it to his lips. Cups were for sissies. He took a long pull, letting the alcohol burn it's way down to his gut. Actually, he was so warmed up by now, the whiskey did nothing more than tingle pleasantly. "They're sacred experiences man."
"Spoken either like a true coinesseur, or one who so rarely gets 'em they're elevated to a mystical experience." He pointed at the other man with his tumbler. "You decide."
Jake sneered. '"Just for that I'm keeping the whiskey to myself."
"Told you you were a selfish bastard." A summoning spell had the bottle returning to Ced's waiting hand.
The slightly younger man sat there for a moment, completely gobsmacked. When he reached for the rum, that too was summoned to the Unspeakable's grasp. "You rudding bastard!" Jake accused, his eyes narrowed as he weighed his options. Lips curling into a smirk, he dove head first into his friend's middle, knocking him off the couch and onto the floor.
Cedric landed with an "oof," securing a leg around Jake as he rolled over to pin the younger man. He'd better not have spilt the rum.
They grappled for a moment before Jake managed to reverse their fates. It was just like old times, though instead of wrestling over the latest issue of Quiddich Quarterly they were fighting over booze.
"That all you got, Summers?" Perhaps it was a low blow, but Ced took advantage of Jake's higher centre of gravity, knocking the younger man into the table. He then used Jake's own momentum to roll them back over, a victorious smile across his face.
Belting his friend across the face, Jake scrambled up and away slightly before beginning to circle, already planning his next attack. It might have been a cheap shot, but at least he hadn't gone for the crotch.
"You're a prat, mate," Cedric stated simply, pivoting to keep his eye on Jake. Instead of moving forward for a blow, he ducked down, swiping the whiskey bottle and tossing it in his friend's direction.
"Son of a bitch!" Jake down to avoid getting beaned in the head with the bottle of alcohol. Behind him, he could hear the sound of shattering glass as it collided with the wall. "There was still plenty of whiskey in there!" He glared at his friend. "Bitch."
"You were meant to catch it, you dick. Not my fault Vegas made your reflexes sloppy, jerk." A silent reparo had the bottle restored in a few seconds. Cedric levitated the bottle so it swung in front of Jake's face. "Truce?"
Jake reached out for it, easily ridding it of its cap. "Bitch." He took a hearty swing. Rum. He also needed rum.
"Only your's, Jakey-pie." Ced flopped easily back onto the couch and went at the rum bottle. "Always wanted to be a pirate," he said speculatively, eyeing the label.
"You got to be a zombie instead. Sucks to be you."
"And I don't even get to eat brains. Total rip-off."
{Summary: Cedric and Jake figure it out the boy way: with booze, brawling and Batman.}